Chapter One (Inheritance Cycle)
by dg175
Summary: Chapter one of the Inheritance series. I have taken the effort to stay true to the writing style of Christopher Paolini and this series is what happens afterwards. My plan is to answer every unanswered question. Enjoy the read. Give me feedback if you like, or not. Do as you please.
1. Chapter 1

Travel

After a week from the departure, Eragon, Saphira and the elves sailed the unknown land of what was beyond Alagёsia. There was no longer any need for the ship that they were using, and had to travel on steed provided from Ellesméra, the elven nation. It was a grueling travel and not much was spoken between the elves and Eragon unless it had to do with camp or other formalities, but for the most part, the elves kept to themselves and were there to accompany Eragon. Queen Arya, from the elven nation, sent the elves so that they may know the location to take the future riders. Even though they did not speak much to Eragon, he was happy that he had the elves around for it was as if they were the only piece of Arya he had left besides his memories.

Everyday Saphira traveled overhead in the dry plains to stretch her wings. She kept lookout for any trace of what the Elundarí described as The High Craigs, a place that not even Glader knew of. According to the other dragons, it is an ancient mountain range where dragons used to live before they traveled to the land of Alagёsia. It is supposed to be a sacred mountain range inhibited long before the union of dragon and elf and goes farther back than the memory of the oldest dragon that traveled with them. In fact, they were following the directions of the oldest dragon that was with them, whose memory was faint enough to remember the directions told to him from the dragons before him. Nonetheless, Eragon trusted the dragon and did not question him for the most part.

Occasionally, Eragon rode Saphira but mostly stayed on ground to accompany the elves. He did not want them to think that they were holding Eragon back when he could easily travel to his destination a lot faster on Saphira. "Besides," he thought, "If I am going to be with them for a while, the last thing I want is to offend them and take word back to Ellesméra."

With the instruction of the Elundarí, Eragon began to become impatient as the week of travel turned into months. The landscape was usually always the same: Flat, dry and no sight of any mountain ranges. There was lots of tall dry grass too that they had to go through down and occasionally, few hawks flew overhead searching for their prey.

Traveling wasn't easy, his legs ached but he refused to heal his soreness and bruising. Leaving his loved ones behind left a new ache in his heart, so he focused on the physical pain with the hope that it could distract him from his new loss. After a while, he sighed to himself as his aching heart hurt more than his physical pain when he began to reflect upon his memories. He thought about Roran, his cousin he considered his brother, and Katrina, Roran's wife, and wondered if they were at Carvahall with their new daughter building the castle on the hilltop. Eragon hoped that the jewels he had given them would be enough. He thought about Arya and her pine smell and those slanted emerald green eyes of hers that made him nervous and weak all at the same time if he were to look at her too long. He then stopped himself from continuing his thoughts about her and began to think about Roran and Katrina again suddenly worried about their safety.

"_They will be fine." _He thought_. "If they need to contact me they have the ring I gave them_."

Deep down inside he knew they would not contact him for any trouble, for he knew that Angela's fortune foretold that he would never return to Alagёsia. He wished that some sort of trouble happened to them so he could return to see them, but he quickly regretted the thought. He shook his head and cursed himself for being selfish.

Finally, Saphira who was lingering above, finally entered his thoughts and tenderly said, _"Little one, I see that you have been struggling to deal with your emotions, but do not let yourself not feel. You did not leave everything behind. You have me, and you know you can confide in me everything. There is nothing that time will not make easier to bear."_

Feeling his restlessness ease, he responded, "_Thank you Saphira, with you I know that I can overcome any obstacle_."

Content with what Saphira had told him, he began to look around his surroundings and noticed the plains they were traveling on had a mysterious aura around them. Everything was a slight shade darker and the temperature seemed to drop slightly. He could tell they were rising in elevation, because breathing began to become a bit harder.

"Will we ever find the location we are looking for?" Eragon asked the hearts of the Elundarí that was safely tucked in the saddle of Saphira. He tried to be polite but his tone was harsher than he expected.

The eldest dragon replied in a low grumble,

" _About two more days, hatchling if memory serves me right. It would be best that you were patient; time for you is not the same as time for us. One day for you can seem like only a moment for us. Which is why many of us seclude ourselves in peace for centuries. As soon as we arrive, Eragon, we shall begin your magic training where Omoris had left off. Do not ever think that because you know the name of the ancient language you can cut corners, on the contrary, because you and Saphira have been chosen to be the Head of the Riders, you have many responsibilities to uphold so you do not make the same mistakes as the ones before you. By the time we are finished, experience, wisdom and common sense will be your only teacher left." _

And with that, the deep grumble came to an end. Eragon felt a strange shiver starting from his spine throughout his arms and finally down to his body. Initially, he felt a bit offended that the eldest dragon still considered him a hatchling after defeating Galbatorix, however, his curiosity was far stronger than his pride. He started to ask the Eldest dragon questions, such as his name and what to expect when they get to The High Craig. He asked about what is left to learn and what kind of training he was going to receive, but the dragon kept silent and distant. Eragon gave up asking more questions and felt himself shiver as he felt his anxiety creep inside of him. He thought of what awaited him, but did whatever it took to assure himself that all his sacrifices will benefit future riders and dragons alike.

The bright sun began to turn dark red as it began to set, and it signaled that it was time to stop traveling and set up camp. Eragon helped clear the tall dry grass and helped start a fire. He kept an eye on the fire making sure that the dry grass did not burn while he began to look for any edible roots around in the plains. Food was made and everyone ate in silence. When he was done, he put out the fire immediately and went to Saphira to unbuckle her saddle so she can rest easily, and as soon as he was done, he placed the Elundarí in a safe place so that if they happened to be ambushed they would be out of harm. He noticed that everyone had gone inside his or her tent, so he stayed outside with Saphira and rubbed her neck until she hummed herself to sleep. He wanted to rest, but his body ached from sitting on the steed all day. He examined his thighs and noticed that the red soreness and bruising had gotten a bit worse from the lack of attention he had given them for the past months. Again, he refused to heal it, and leaned on Saphira. He held Brisingr, his sapphire sword, and let his mind wander about everything that the eldest dragon had told him. He wondered about what more he had to learn left and thought about how he was supposed to mentor the future riders. He sighed to himself and looked up at the stars. He thought about Arya and wondered if she was looking up at them too. He closed his eyes and finally fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Burn

Eragon stirred that night and began to dream.

_He was in Carvahall and saw a castle on the hilltop near his farm. When he approached it, he noticed Arya was standing, looking at him with her dark emerald green eyes. Before he had a chance to greet her, she held Brisingr tightly in her hands, waved it around mockingly and ran inside the castle. Frustrated, Eragon chased her, and by the time he got to the door, he realized it was locked. He instinctively searched his pockets, found a key and shoved it into the hole. He twisted the key and noticed it opened a lot smoother than he expected. _

_He walked inside, and saw his sword rusted and abandoned on the floor. He stared at it confused and was unrelieved. Eragon picked up his rusted sword and looked up to see Murtagh with a Dauthdaert near Saphira's eye ready to kill her at any given moment. Eragon was about to run towards Saphira, but stopped when he saw Galbatorix appear with his white long sword against Arya. She showed bruising on her arms and her face was covered with her hair. She did not look up at Eragon and did not struggle. Galbatorix's strong arm was around her waist restraining her from any sudden movement; he had a wrathful smile around his face as he approached the tip of the blade closer to Arya. Unexpectedly, Orik appeared next to Eragon and said, _

"_Foster brother, quick! You have to tell me who you want me to save. I have enough time to pray to our god to save only one. You must choose!" Eragon began running towards Saphira and exclaimed, "Save Arya!" He drew out his sword and yelled Brisingr at the top of his lungs, so he can distract Murtagh, but he was too late, the Dauthdaert took her life away immediately draining his energy from his body as his other half died. _

Eragon woke up with a jolt and felt his body drained. He saw Brisingr ignited and quickly stopped the sword's magic from extracting the rest of his energy. The sword's fire caught on to the dry grass and within moments the fire spread quickly. The flames were already surrounding him and began to spread everywhere. Eragon left his sword, stumbling towards the Elundarí and began to yell to the elves, their eyes filled with fear as saw their fiery surroundings. The elves quickly began to control the fire around within radius, but the fire roared louder as everything became a furnace. The horses screamed uncontrollably as the whites of their eyes were wide with terror.

One of the elves, Horthän, ran quickly to help Eragon prepare the saddle for Saphira while the other elves joined powers to control the fire surrounding them. His hands were quick and precise as he gathered the Elundarí and placed the saddle on Saphira.

When Saphira's saddle was prepared she yelled in her mind, "_Eragon it is time to go!" _

Eragon stood frozen. He could not leave the other elves behind. He shook his head and turned around, but Horthän held on to his arm to prevent him from running any further. Eragon was too weak from Brisingr to break free of Horthän's grip.

"We have to save them!" Pleaded Eragon, and swung his free arm to attack the elf's face so he could release him. The elf easily evaded his attack and quickly hit Eragon on the back of his head and knocked him out unconscious.

Without thinking, Horthän picked up Eragon with one arm and threw him over his shoulder, while he climbed onto Saphira. He looked at his companions for one last time and quickly Saphira took off. The last thing the elf saw was the elves collapse as the wild fire consumed his friends.

Eragon heard Saphira's howling roar closing to an end and wondered why she was roaring. "_Finally_," she told him. He felt her mind move away from his as she began to concentrate on flying. He looked up and saw darkness everywhere. He was trying to regain consciousness and noticed that he and another elf were sitting on Saphira's saddle. The elf's arm was tightly wrapped around Eragon to make sure that he did not fall off. Eragon was about to speak until he and the elf began to cough uncontrollably at the thick black smoke. Eragon realized he was still too weak and every cough was increasingly draining. He brushed his mind with Saphira's and he could tell that they had been flying for some time in the smoke. Her body was growing weak as she flew through the thick smoke and Eragon began to feel her dizziness as she breathed.

"This is wrong," He thought. "Why is Saphira flying through this smoke? Just a minute ago we were sleeping and now we are trying to escape this inferno." He felt her dizziness worsen and he felt her lungs burn. She started to descend and he felt her energy decreasing exponentially. A rush of energy filled Eragon as the Elundarí joined together to replenish the energy lost. Without thinking, Eragon transferred the energy to Saphira and felt her body reenergize as she continued. After what seemed like an hour they escaped the smoke and Saphira crashed into the ground causing the elf and Eragon to fall off. Eragon landed on his shoulder and rolled to break the fall and slowly rose to aid Saphira. He noticed that his arm was dislocated but he ignored it.

She roared a horrific sound as she coughed. Eragon stood helpless as his partner continued to cough uncontrollably on her side. He couldn't do anything to help her. He had to wait until whatever muck of the smoke that had accumulated in her lungs was gone. It was a long night and he waited next to her as she recovered slowly. The night seemed long as Saphira's coughing began to slow down. Eragon had never felt so scared in his life and he finally began to sob as soon as his adrenaline and shock left him. He looked behind him and saw that the fire still continued a half league away. At last, Saphira stopped coughing and she looked ahead of her unusually silent. Eragon let his mind touch hers and noticed that she did not let him connect with her. He felt confused. She never blocked her mind from him. He stopped trying and left her alone in her own thoughts. Eragon was about to pull his arm into place until the elf appeared next to him. "Allow me." He said. He grabbed Eragon's arm and brutally forced it into place. Eragon screamed in pain.

The elf had a sullen stare and whispered, "You did this, Elf killer_."_ There was a pause in his voice and he started to shout, "You are responsible for the death of the eleven other elves that were with us!" Eragon was dumbfounded. The elf pulled his sword out of his sheath and pointed it at Eragon.

Eragon reached for Brisingr, but noticed that he did not have it with him. He had left it when he stumbled to reach for the Elundarí. Eragon was unsure on what to do and replied. "Please. Stop. I do not know how everything got out of control. The only memory I have left is waking to fire and wanting to save the other elves. I never wished for any harm to happen to anyone of us!"

The elf was about to swing his blade until Saphira's tail slammed hard onto the earth separating them both. _"Horthän, if you dare hurt him I will swallow you and make sure I chew slowly. I will not allow you to hurt my Rider. He has not been himself. He tried to save your other friends, but it would have been impossible for you know I have not fully grown and cannot carry eleven more elves. Think before you act pointed ears_!"

The elf's face was expressionless and after several minutes he let himself drop to his knees. He did not cry. Instead, it seemed as if he was trying to make sense of everything that had happened in such little time. Eragon never had seen such self-control until finally, Horthän looked up sharply, and took a deep breath. "You are weak! How did you not wake from your slumber as the fire consumed the first blade of grass? All that death of the living was nauseating. Did Omoris not teach you anything about the energy around you? Everything was dying and you did nothing! You may look like an elf, but you will never become anywhere near as great as anyone of us. You are an abomination. Filth to the land! A disgrace to call yourself a Dragon Rider! I hardly believe that you slayed Galbatorix or that Queen Arya…

-"That is some nerve you got there elf_._" Eragon, Horthän and Saphira turned to see a figure of old man sitting on a rock with a staff on his left hand. As the morning sun began to rise Eragon saw that the old man had sharp features that made him look strong. He initially looked around his forties but the wrinkles around his eyes gave him away. The old man looked familiar, but he was not sure where he had seen him.

"I have never seen an elf with a lack of formalities, but I suppose circumstance causes these things to slip. Ha! I guess we all learned today that formalities are a way to prevent any offense to another." The old man slowly began to rise. There was something about him that seemed unusually pleasant, but Eragon was not sure where it was from. Finally, the man replied, "I knew you were coming, by the way. I heard the land sing your name and the birds speak about your approach. Call me Tenga and follow me you three, I have a few things to discuss with you." And with that, the man rose and walked towards the mountain range.


	3. Chapter 3

Tension was in the air, but no one dared to misconduct themselves. It seemed as if the more each elf argued their position, the more formal they became. It was an adjustment that was difficult to deal with at first, due to the fact that she had spent more time involved with Dwarf and Varden politics than with the politics of her own people. Arya made sure that she showed no sign that she was still adjusting to the drastic transition, and with her satisfaction, no one seemed to notice or question her.

The board of the elves was always very exhausting when it came to sensitive matters. Arya's transition as Queen had been quite unique. She had been accustomed to being the person arguing her positions when it came to the Varden, but when she had become Queen of the Elves, she had to remind herself that she was now the mediator and was responsible for the final judgment when arguments at last ceased.

She was younger than everyone at the table, but she had been part of many war battles and showed much promise when word spread that she was involved in defeating King Galbatorix and slaying Shruikan, the black dragon. In addition, her duty to represent the Elven nation had been one of much success, Arya always demonstrated selflessness and her decisions had always shown favor in the eyes of the elves. Thanks for the elven involvement, Galbatorix was finally dead and there was a new era of peace.

There had been new additions to the board, Blödhgarm and the new ambassador Vanir who was occasionally present when he had to report Dwarf and Human affairs. Blödhgarm had a very effective style of communication; he had control of the ancient language and used complicated parables that often gained favor within the board. As great he was with his words, Arya was not sure about his intentions; even though the Ancient Language prevented the act of lying, there was one loop hole that it did not regard: if a living being truly believes their lies. Such process takes only the most mental discipline and centuries to accomplish. Galbatorix was the only being known to deceive using the Ancient Language, and when he discovered the true name of the Ancient language, lying was effortless.

When discussion finally came to an end, the members of the board bowed to Arya and left to their leisure. Blödhgarm stayed behind hoping to speak to Arya. Ever since he had assisted in the Varden efforts, he had thought about courting her, but circumstance made it difficult to do so, especially since he was pretending to be Eragon, and she was always consumed in her duties. He was confident that she would be delighted in spending time with him.

"Today is the day." He assured himself. As soon as the last person walked out, he stayed behind.

Arya looked at him and he saw her eyes slant and remained standing. He quickly put his two fingers on his lips and twisted his arms and said, "Atra du evarínya ono varda. When the greeting was done Arya simply responded, "Speak freely Blödhgarm."

Blödhgarm took a moment but finally said, "It would be my pleasure my älfa-kona if you could accompany tonight. Have you noticed our past has been like the ants, both working for our queen, and fulfilling our duties and yet, never once have we crossed paths? Now that you are Queen we are again working together to make a better Ellesméra. It would be my greatest honor if you said yes."

He was pleased so see that she showed a slight surprise in her eyes, without any doubt he assured himself that was something she had been waiting for him to do. Her body language was difficult to read, until she finally said, "Blödhgarm, my whole day has been consumed with politics, and I was on my way to see Fírnen to free my mind." She paused for a moment and finally said, "If you like, you can accompany me."

They walked out together; Blödhgarm walking taller than ever and strode along leaving behind his muskiness. Arya paced herself slightly ahead of him with the hope that the wind would push the scent away from her. Back in the Varden, Blödhgarm was able to catch the hearts of the human women with his sweet smell and looks alone; although it seemed as if he were nonchalant about his effect on women, there was always a satisfied look in the edge of his eyes. He was in no doubt physically charming as he was verbally.

She closed her eyes for a bit and let herself have a slight smile as she began to feel the living creatures more alive than ever. She felt the nocturnal animals wide awake as they crept for their prey always so sure and quiet in their steps, she felt the flowers around her slowly drinking the water from the earth as they always did to prepare themselves for the day, she felt everything and more so around her and she thought about how it was too perfect. This was one of the greatest things about being back to Ellesméra, being in sync with the land. Sure, there were living creatures in the Varden, but everything was different there. Plants and animals were only seen as décor or even sustenance, but never were they seen as something to be bonded with.

Blödhgarm startled her as he began to speak, "Dröttning Arya, the reason I wanted to speak to you is not because of politics, but rather to let you know that I have a great admiration for you. I may be one of the greatest magicians, but magic does not compare with your wisdom and adaptability. I believe that this admiration I have towards you, has inspired me to become a far stronger of a magician, so that I may be able to serve you better in the future." He ended with a soft purr.

Arya replied, "I appreciate your admiration Blödhgarm, but I must admit that circumstance has molded me to be this way." She was unsure on what else to say, so she remained silent.

Soon enough, he took advantage of the silence and began to speak about what it was like to be the guard of Eragon, the hardships he went though, and spoke about how strange it was that human males dressed differently than female humans. He continued speaking until they both saw Fírnen scratching himself against a tree. It was true entertainment. By the way he was moving it seemed that his scales were doing more scratching to the tree than the other way around, but after a few more moments Fírnen began to hum in satisfaction. As soon as he was done he lay down leaving tree shavings everywhere.

Arya saw Fírnen watching her as they were approaching; he was unusually quiet as he saw that she had company, which was rare because he always had a remark on his mind.

"_If you think he is flying with us you are sadly mistaken_." Fírnen grumbled only to Arya.

"Bjartskular," Blödhgarm whispered, unaware of Fírnen's comment, "It is always a pleasure to be in your company. I understand that you and my Dröttning are in need for some time together, I only wanted to accompany her Highness if only for a few minutes. May you both fly safely and sleep most well tonight." And with that, Blödhgarm began effortlessly whispering a long complicated spell and created a beautiful white snowdrop flower. He handed it to Arya and without waiting for her response, he bowed to both of them and disappeared into the thick trees.

"_Well_, _isn't he a strange one_," Fírnen began, "_Gives you a flower so it can wilt. I would rather have something useful, such as a suitable tree so I can scratch myself against. You pointed ears have strange ways." _

Arya laughed as she hugged Fírnen's neck, "I will be sure make you a scratching tree so you do not leave the forest like a bald cat." She climbed onto Fírnen, and together they soared towards their sleeping quarters.

They flew above everything and she felt happy to share her stress, frustrations, and the politics to Fírnen.

Fírnen's voice echoed in her mind, "_While you were stressing with your day, I was having trouble deciding what I wanted to eat, so I decided a few mares would be a good option." _

Arya loved listening to Fírnen's day. His life was so simple and free and she often found herself wishing she could spend more time with him, but being queen was like a bird in a cage.

After about an hour of flying, Fírnen arrived to Omoris's old home, a tree house that was secluded. There were large golden vines wrapped around the thick trunk of the tree and a wide opening on the top so one dragon could land. She removed her sword and her garments as she prepared herself for bed.

She looked up at the sky and began watching the stars. Thinking about the day and wondered about the turn of events in her life. Ever since she left Ellesméra to become the ambassador, she became aware of the subject of time and the value of change. Here, elves spend decades of their lives consumed their own vanity that they do not even realize the amount of time that has passed by. Leaving gave her the understanding of what freedom truly means: filling the heart with adventure and happiness, something that vanity could not.

She thought about her deceased mother, and the relationship that they had. Being her mother's daughter had several expectations. There was always a particular manner in which she had to conduct herself, because she was the reflection of her mother ruling. If she were to be rebellious, it reflected a lack of control in the nation. If she were too quiet she demonstrated her mother as neurotic and more of a tyrant than a servant to the country. By the time becoming an ambassador was an option, Arya volunteered herself for the benefit of her mother's image and for her own freedom. Leaving at such a young age left a broken bond and anger in the eyes of the queen, but Arya choice was based upon the best for the image of her mother and herself.

She reflected to herself the irony of her life; her whole life she wanted escape of the elven lifestyle, and now that she is back, she has every eye watching her every move and has to meet everyone's expectations. What troubled her most is the fact that being queen is a lifelong commitment and wondered if she would ever find happiness.

Fírnen was quiet listening to her thoughts and told her gently in his deep voice, "_My littlest one, happiness is a choice_." He paused letting his words linger, _"Life is full of mysteries and takes you on journeys with several twists and turns. No one hatches and expects any difficulties, it just happens. Life can seem cruel and at times, hopeless, but there is one factor that can always change your perception: your will to choose your happiness. My littlest one, you can also smile upon the fact that you have the fiercest and most handsome dragon in Alagёsia. I know if I were you, I would feel proud and happy at all times of the day." _

Arya smiled and contemplating the words of wisdom. "He is right," she thought to herself, I become too consumed with everything being piled up that I became a slave to being miserable.

Fírnen began to roll around and finally said to Arya, "You know, I like Eragon a lot better than Blödhgarm." Arya began to laugh and replied, "Do you say that because of Saphira or because you really like him."

"I like him because of Saphira, and because he seemed to make you happy."

"Well, he's not coming back. He's been gone for some time now, and I think it is for the better, he has a lot of responsibilities if he plans to be the head of the riders. Besides, we will hear from Horthän soon, it has been over a year since the last time we saw them, and I am certain he will have to report the progress of their travels."

She looked up at the stars, and forced herself to sleep.


End file.
